American Water Awarded Research Grant from Water Research Foundation

American Water Awarded Research Grant from Water Research Foundation
Business Wire
VOORHEES, N.J. -- March 14, 2013
American Water (NYSE: AWK), the nation’s largest publicly traded water and
wastewater utility company, today announced it has been awarded a research
grant from the Water Research Foundation to partner with the Metropolitan
Water District of Southern California and University of Alberta to determine
the occurrence of nitrosamines in drinking water systems in North America.
The total value of the project is $711,902, with $400,000 funded by the Water
Research Foundation and $311,902 in-kind contribution from the project team.
American Water will directly receive $137,200 to pay for research costs.
The project will examine drinking water plants in the U.S. States and Canada
to clarify the impact of various conventional and advanced treatment processes
in minimizing the formation of nitrosamines, which are known carcinogenic
compounds. Certain nitrosamines are by-products of the disinfectant
chloramines - a common disinfectant in the U.S. drinking water industry, which
is used as an alternative to chlorine to control the formation of regulated
halogenated by-products. This research will allow the team to determine key
factors that lead to nitrosamine formation in treated drinking waters using
chloramines and identify cost-effective controls.
“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is considering inclusion of
nitrosamines in future drinking water regulations. Should this happen, the
information from this project will be very beneficial for drinking water
utilities as they fine tune their treatment processes to meet such
regulations,” stated Dr. Zia Bukhari, American Water senior environmental
scientist.
The project team consists of Metropolitan Water District’s Stuart Krasner as
the principal investigator, with Dr. Zia Bukhari and Dr. XingFang Li of
University of Alberta serving as co-principal investigators.
About Water Research Foundation
Founded in 1966, the Water Research Foundation (WaterRF) is an international,
501(c)3 non-profit organization that sponsors research to enable water
utilities, public health agencies and other professionals to provide safe and
affordable water to the public. With more than 1,000 subscribers who provide
water to 80 percent of the U.S. population, WaterRF has funded and managed
more than 1,000 projects. For more information, go to www.WaterRF.org.
About Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a consortium of 26
cities and water districts that provides drinking water to nearly 19 million
people in parts of Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino
and Ventura counties. More information can be found at www.mwdh2o.com.
University of Alberta Water Initiative
Through its Water Initiative, the University of Alberta is tackling the
integrated challenges of water supply, demand and quality to develop solutions
to current and future water issues. Working with international partners, our
cross-disciplinary expertise in water-related research, technology and policy
is focused on three key areas: water usage for resource extraction, water
supply for agriculture and water quality for non-urban communities. Learn more
at www.water.ualberta.ca.
About American Water
Founded in 1886, American Water is the largest publicly traded U.S. water and
wastewater utility company. With headquarters in Voorhees, N.J., the company
employs approximately 6,700 dedicated professionals who provide drinking
water, wastewater and other related services to an estimated 14 million people
in more than 30 states and parts of Canada. More information can be found at
www.amwater.com.
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Contact:
American Water
Denise Venuti Free
External Communications Manager
856-309-4690
denise.free@amwater.com